Nareed
Nareed
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November 19th, 2009 at 7:15:14 AM permalink
I'll start. I saw the Penn & Teller show in May 08. I've been a long time minor fan of theirs for years, ever since they'd appear on SNL and do the odd special on TV in the late 80s in fact. I also catch their TV show (BS for short) when I have the chance. So naturally I greatly enjoyed the show.

They are good magicians, but not in the spectacular way of Sigfried and Roy or in the complex, coreographed way of David Copperfield. Instead P&T are more like a comedy act using magic tricks as a prop. As such their act is a huge success because it's very funny.

That said, Teller, the silent one, does several interludes in which he displays mostly sleight-of-hand tricks. He's very, very good at it. In one he transmutes water into coins, and coins into fish. It's amazing.

Another thing they like to do is "expose" their own magic tricks. In this show they do the various cups and balls tricks using transparent cups. They move so fast you don't ever see exactly what they're doing, though.

Penn is an outspoken libertarian and rationalist (meaning he favors freedom and rational thinking). He does use part of the show to make some points. He does a fairly elaborate trick to debunk psychics, and near the end he symbolically burns an American flag, twice, to make a point about freedom of speech. Leave it to a magician to burn the flag without actually burning the flag! Oh, since I agree with most of his positions, I've no problem with this, but some people dislike the duo for this reason alone.

After the show you'll find them out in the hallway leading back to the casino signing autographs and posing for pictures. I thought that was nice of them. I got Teller's autograph on my show ticket, and even asked him about the time they were on Babylon 5 (yes, I'm that much of a geek). Oh, Teller does speak, but not on stage (not so you notice).
Donald Trump is a fucking criminal
Wizard
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Wizard
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November 23rd, 2009 at 7:23:12 PM permalink
I agree 100%. In my opinion, Penn & Teller is one of the best shows in Vegas. However, I grant you that it isn’t for everybody. Let’s just say that the trick with the live bunny and the wood chipper is not everybody’s idea of humor, but I loved it! I also admire how they aren’t too big to meet their guests after the show, and don’t push you into buying something for the privilege. Personally, I would take Penn & Teller over Siegfried & Roy any day.
"For with much wisdom comes much sorrow." -- Ecclesiastes 1:18 (NIV)
jeremykay
jeremykay
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February 10th, 2010 at 7:57:26 PM permalink
I also saw Penn & Teller about a year or so ago and really loved it!

I'm not much for Cirque du Soleil, although I've seen Mystere and Zumanity (former is much better than the latter).

Blue Man Group was cool, but didn't quite live up to the hype.

Phantom was really good if you like traditional musicals.

I'm going back in April... what recommendations does anyone have for something else that's great?
Wizard
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Wizard
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February 10th, 2010 at 8:15:36 PM permalink
Excluding shows you already saw, my pick is Jersey Boys. For the record, I didn't care for Phantom.
"For with much wisdom comes much sorrow." -- Ecclesiastes 1:18 (NIV)
mantic59
mantic59
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February 11th, 2010 at 7:01:00 AM permalink
OK, I'll add my two cents:

Mystere: 1st Vegas show wife and I saw (right after we got married at Venetian). Would definitely see again (though I admit there were a couple "quirky" gimmicks to it).

"O": Good, would recommend, but I wouldn't care to see it again.

Blue Man (when they were at Luxor, I presume its the same at Venetian): Meh.

Jersey Boys: I'm not a big fan of early 60's music but I would go see this again.
cardshark
cardshark
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February 11th, 2010 at 7:55:44 AM permalink
Celine is returning to Caesars in 2011...
slyther
slyther
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February 11th, 2010 at 10:33:09 AM permalink
I'm a big Blue Man Group fan (don't forget to give them your name if you want it to appear on the scrolling signs during the pre-show)

Ka was fantastic, but Mystere is still my fave Cirque. Mrs. Slyther fell asleep at O!

Agree with the Penn and Teller posts

We liked Terry Fator as well. He has a TV special that runs on CMT now and then that shows about 1/2 of his show.

Once we saw Jubilee to get a taste of the old school production show and it was all right, we had 2-for-1 tickets or something.

Danny Gans (RIP) was a great talent.
kristim55
kristim55
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February 11th, 2010 at 7:19:41 PM permalink
I recommend Penn & Teller, KA and Love. Love is more dancing/less acrobatics than most Cirque shows. And how can you go wrong with Beatles music?

O and Mystere are good, but I like the three above better.

I don't recommend Blue Man Group (saw it twice and disliked even more the second time). Phantom is good but it didn't live up to my expectations. Gordie Brown is predictable, uninspired.

Has anyone seen Wayne Brady? Or the new Cirque Elvis show at CityCenter?
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